Kristy Bowen

Designing your dream kitchen can be an opportunity to fine-tune the style of your space, giving you a chance to bring in loads of charm and personality. Your choice of fridge, one of the largest elements in any kitchen, can work for or against you as you define and refine your personal style. Retro and vintage-look refrigerators are having a moment, with many brands like Frigidaire and Smeg offering stylish appliances that boast a chic, mid-century aesthetic marked by curves and bright colors...

The shelves and aisles of thrift stores can be a great place to pick up unique treasures for any room in your home, especially the kitchen, where vintage dishes and other glassware are a budget-friendly way to add a sense of retro charm and character to your shelves, cabinets, and counters. Using vintage glassware is popular among designers, including HGTV and the Magnolia Network's Joanna Gaines, who often mixes vintage and antique pieces with more modern ones. A remodel of the million-dolla...

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Center islands can be a great addition for a functional and beautiful kitchen. They make use of that empty area in the middle of the room, providing extra prep and cooking space. Many also offer valuable storage via drawers and shelves underneath. In a recent remodel on HGTV's "Home Town," hosts Erin and Ben Napier debuted a stunning alternative to conventional islands by installing an elevated farmhouse table instead of a blockier, tr...

Antique and vintage items can be a great way to add a sense of age and character to any space. This is true even in more modern and contemporary style homes, where the addition of a carefully chosen antique piece can work wonders in creating a lived-in feel when mixed with new furniture and decorative elements. If you're headed out to a thrift store, antique vendor, or flea market, you may want to keep an eye out for some very in-demand pieces that can add endless charm to your space wherever...

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Changing out the hardware in your kitchen can be one of the best ways to get a subtle transformation that doesn't cost all that much. It's also a switch that can be done in a relatively short time compared to other kinds of renovations and adjustments. While cabinet hardware trends could change over the years, the abundance of options available from retailers can usually accommodate any desired style or aesthetic. Some of the best type...

While there are many ways to repurpose old mugs for storage and organization, one of the best might be an upcycle that keeps your desk organized and clutter-free. Mugs are often perfect for stashing pens and other supplies, making it far easier to grab what you need without rifling through drawers. As they provide storage, mugs can also help free up space in your drawers that could be used for other things. There's an ingenious twist on this fun storage solution that takes a small amount of f...

HGTV's wealth of designers and hosts often have the best ideas for adding unique and distinctive character to the spaces they work on. This includes their own homes, where they can put their professional acumen to use in a personalized way. Hilary Farr, host of "Love It or List It," unveiled an ingenious use of an old decorative screen in her bedroom that adds enormous texture, charm, and character to her space. The effect is dramatic, making the vintage panels look like large-scale, beautifu...

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While lighting trends come and go, finding the perfect mix and layers of lighting for any space in your home is always on trend, particularly if your space lacks natural light or tends to feel rather cave-like once the sun goes down. This lighting trick that immediately boosts your home's ambience can include a combination of overhead fixtures, task lighting, and decor accents like wall sconces and candles. Floor lamps in particular ar...

Storage and display space in a small kitchen are often at a premium, with every available inch needing to be maximized. Corner hutches and cabinets may be the perfect solution to small-space living, allowing you to use what would otherwise be dead space in a corner. Not only do these old cabinets add interest and charm with their wood grain textures and unique detailing, but they also grant you extra display space for decorative dishes and other décor, allowing you to show off your style. The...

Your local thrift store's glassware aisle is likely overflowing with beautiful tea cups, including both newer and vintage drinkware pieces that sport beautiful floral designs and intricate porcelain curves. These cups can be a beautiful addition to your kitchen, for both serving tea and creating one of many cool DIY projects that repurpose old teacups around the house. One of the most stylish ways to incorporate teacups into your décor is to use them for ingenious DIYs that mix them with cand...

Everyone agrees that wall art and décor are important elements in your home, often setting the tone of a space, giving it character, and tying everything together. Frames for wall artwork, photos, and other kinds of décor, however, can be hard to find from retailers with budget-friendly price tags, particularly those that are larger in size or made from luxurious materials. You may be overlooking a convenient source for budget-friendly frames in a variety of sizes and designs: Thrift stores c...

Glass jars are the main element of many different repurposing projects and can be used to create unique home décor items you won't find elsewhere. Instead of tossing old jars in your recycling bin, you can try any number of clever ways to reuse glass jars around your house.
Any size jar can be used as a vase to hold flowers, and if you're looking to add even more texture and interest to your vessel, why not for an transform a glass jar into an artsy decorative vase customized to your décor sc...

HGTV and the Magnolia Network's Joanna Gaines is known for her impeccable style and rustic sensibilities, often creating cozy and multi-textured spaces that have enormous amounts of character. In a photo on Instagram, Gaines showed off her own office space, where much of the design magic happens. She had expertly executed a creative spin on the all-black cabinets trend, adapting it to be more textured and rustic by leaving the drawers and bins unpainted to showcase the rich natural wood. The ...

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Thrift stores are often filled with beautiful glassware, including stemware, candlesticks, tumblers, plates, and platters. While these pieces are not always useful in their original roles, they can always be enlisted for cool DIY repurposing projects that upcycle thrifted glassware in new ways. Instagram user @halezgarciaathome shows off a stunning way to create a candle platter with thrifted glass and simple taper candles. The result ...

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Beautiful décor pieces can sometimes come from the unlikeliest places, including the trash or recycling bin, where paper and packing materials can often be just the element needed to create unique DIY pieces. These ingenious upcycling projects can turn trash to treasure with just a few easy modifications. One clever project popping up on social media uses Amazon paper mailers to create adorable wall décor resembling vintage flour sacks...